a man who begets offspring; a male parent.
Often Father one’s own male parent.
When we were kids, Father read to us regularly.
My father is visiting us next week.
a father-in-law, stepfather, foster father, male adoptive parent, or male guardian.
Usually Father a term of address for a male parent or a man having or regarded as having the status, function, or authority of a male parent.
How are you, Father?
any male ancestor, especially the founder of a family or line; progenitor.
a man providing care or exercising influence or authority like that of a male parent.
The late professor was a father to all his students.
the qualities characteristic of a father, such as paternal affection, protectiveness, responsibility, etc..
He had been quite a rake, but his newborn daughter quickly brought out the father in him.
a man who has originated or established something.
Freud is often called the father of modern psychology.
The founding fathers of America took care to separate church and state.
an early form; forerunner or prototype.
The horseless carriage was the father of the modern automobile.
one of the most well-known or prominent men in a city, town, etc..
There was a scandal involving several of the city fathers.
Chiefly British. the oldest living or serving member of a society, profession, etc.
a title for something personified as an older or elderly man.
Father Time.
a term of familiar address for an old or elderly man.
Theology. Often the Father
the Supreme Being; God.
Christianity. the first person of the Trinity.
Also called church father. Church History. any of the chief early Christian writers, whose works are the main sources for the history, doctrines, and observances of the church in the early ages.
Ecclesiastical.
Usually Father a title of reverence, as for church dignitaries, officers of monasteries, monks, confessors, and especially priests.
Often Father a person bearing this title.
He is a father in the Catholic church.
Roman History. fathers, conscript fathers.
to beget; be the father of.
He fathered seven children over three marriages.
to be the male creator, founder, or author of; originate.
to care for or protect like a father; act paternally toward.
He’s always fathering me and checking the oil in my car.
After Dad died, my uncle fathered my brother and me.
Archaic. to acknowledge oneself the father or originator of.
He would only father the novel if it became popular.
Archaic. to assume as one's own; take the responsibility of.
Archaic. to charge someone with the begetting of.
Do not try to father the boy on me.
a male parent
a person who founds a line or family; forefather
any male acting in a paternal capacity
(often capital) a respectful term of address for an old man
a male who originates something
the father of modern psychology
a leader of an association, council, etc; elder
a city father
the eldest or most senior member in a society, profession, etc
father of the bar
(often plural) a senator or patrician in ancient Rome
informal a very large, severe, etc, example of a specified kind
the father of a whipping
to procreate or generate (offspring); beget
to create, found, originate, etc
to act as a father to
to acknowledge oneself as father or originator of
to impose or place without a just reason
God, esp when considered as the first person of the Christian Trinity
Also called: Church Father. any of the writers on Christian doctrine of the pre-Scholastic period
a title used for Christian priests
First recorded before 900; Middle English fader, Old English fæder; cognate with Dutch vader, German Vater, Old Norse fathir; akin to Armenian hayr, Greek patḗr, Irish athair, Latin pater, Persian pedar, Sanskrit pitar-
The verb father means to make children. If your dog, Tramp, fathers three puppies with the neighbor's dog, Lady, he is their father. A father is a male parent. Everyone has a biological father, even if they're not raised by him. You might call your father Dad, Daddy, Papa, Pops, or even Father. A man who helped found something, or invent it, can be called the father of that entity or invention. George Washington is considered a father of the United States, and Alexander Graham Bell is often referred to as the father of the telephone.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I mean, even in Washington Crossing the Delaware, Emanuel Leutze painted the Founding Father with a small paunch.
From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026
Djokovic can never be ruled out of becoming the oldest major men's singles champion in the Open Era, but Father Time has been sat waiting on Djokovic's shoulder for a good while.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Father Time is as undefeated just as Bill Plaschke is winless with predictions.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
Still, Father Pinsent isn’t concerned that sophisticated new technologies pose a risk to religious worship.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Father Monaghan and Lulu spend the afternoon with Joey.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
